*OLD*Phantom Detectives*OLD*

Ch.29 Walking Dead

Arthur W.

Tex and I were silent for the most part, keeping our thoughts to ourselves. My gaze couldn't stay in one place. My eyes were darting from the walls, to the ceiling, to the floors, looking for anything and everything that could help us in this case.

"Arthur, did you ever tell Eloise and James that Eliza had lied?" Tex questions, his voice low.

"No," I answer, matching his tone. "I haven't and I do not intend on doing so."

"Why not?"

"Because, I have my money on someone else right now." I answer.

"So does that mean you're just going to ignore the the fact that Eliza lied straight to everyone's faces and let Connor take the blame for a crime he didn't commit?" Tex grumbles.

"I never said that I was going to let Connor take the blame. I'm not going to report Eliza because, if your remember... I lied too."

"But you left to go and find her,"

"It doesn't matter Tex. I left and I lied, plus I know that Eliza isn't the murderer."

"If the murderer ain't Eliza then who is it?" Tex asks.

"Well," I sigh, "I couldn't sleep last night so I went back into the room where Adam's body was found. I went snooping around for clues and well... I took a look in the fireplace."

"And?" Tex raise a brow.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a clear plastic bag that contained broken glass. "I don't know if you smelt it or not, but I smelt salt on Adam."

"Sea salt, yes I smelt it too. But I assumed it was just from the food."

"Well it wasn't," I huff, "this bottle once held a certain kind of liquid found inside pufferfish. This liquid acts like a poison, momentarily killing a person. When spilled on cloth, it looks and acts like blood would."

Tex gasps, his eyes going wide. "Y-you don't mean-"

"There is a possibility that Adam is still alive, and that this was all just some scam to put Connor behind bars."

"So, in a way... Adam is like the walking dead." Tex mumbles.

"You could look at it that way." I shrug.

"But why frame Connor?" Tex questions.

"It's simple," I answer, "if Connor were to be found guilty, he would be put away for the rest of his life. And, even if he wasn't found guilty, people would still lose their faith in Connor and his entire life would go under."

"So either way you look at this," Tex starts.

"Connor would be screwed." I finish.

"You know Arthur," Tex says, "you can deny it all you want, but I still think that Eliza killed Adam."

"And why is that?" I ask.

"It's because once those two were married." Tex explains. "Eliza played Adam and once she was done, she left him with more money in her pockets then when she started."

"How do you know about that?" I ask.

"I've been doing a bit of business with Eliza's current husband and he recently told me that he suspects she is being unfaithful." Tex answers.

"Well I followed Eliza last night," I tell him, "and the worst that she did was get lost and have to ask Karen where the lounge was in order to get back. She couldn't be the murderer, if Adam is dead that is."

"But if Eliza didn't do it then who did?" Tex asks.

"That's what I aim to find out."